Like a racoon in a heat wave

It is HOT here in Cape Town, in Sunny South Africa.  Very, very hot. Yesterday was disgustingly hot.  At 08:30 in the morning it was already 30 degrees centigrade (86’F). By midday the temp was 38'C / 100'F, with a discomfort index of 45'C /  113'F.  When I put the kids to bed at 8pm (late night for them due to the heat, they normally go to bed at 7:30), the temperature in their rooms was about 29’C / 85’F. Poor buggers. I can’t even open the windows because of the mosquitoes.  Ugh! I hate this heat.  But apparently I am not allowed to complain. My friend in the computer Eliza says I am being a ninny.  But it is HOT here! VERY hot!

(Edited to add:  See!!!  I told you it's hot here - read this comment by a friend of mine who has spent the last 20 years or something in the USA, and has now returned to South Africa, bringing her American husband along!  Told you I wasn't being a wuss!)

 The only way I could get remotely cooler was to get into the kid’s splash pool, which is on the veranda, in the shade. (Do you call it a veranda if it is at the back of your house?  We call it a stoep.  The paved bit outside your entertainment area where you sit outside and have sundowners and braais/BBQ's).

 Please note: That is not a spare newborn floating in the water, it is a doll.  And the racoon-like dark rings under my eyes is from melting mascara.  And! I am having my roots redone on tomorrow!! I know it looks hideous, but my hair grows like weeds.  One week is it acceptable and the very next week it is embarrassing.  Actually, now that we are on the subject, how often do you have your roots redone? I am going every two months? That seems really often, but any longer than that and I look completely revolting. Is that normal, to go every second month? I am regretting this whole foray into the blonde thing.  Blondes don’t have more fun; they are too busy spending time at the hairdresser having their roots touched up.

 

 

Have I mentioned how hot it is here?

Oh, and that mark on the top of my right leg is a mosquito bite. I've been savaged by wild animals recently.  I have three mosquito bites on my leg AND a bee stung me on Sunday. It is tough living in Africa.

 

Edited to add:  Had emergency root treatment.  All is well!  Head scarf no longer required.

Comments

[Flicka]

Am so jealous! It is 21 degrees Fahrenheit here and snowing. What I wouldn't give to be in sunny, tropical Africa right now!

[Flicka]

P.S. You're looking very thin. No one will notice the blonde roots as they are too busy being jealous of how G&D you are.

[Judy]

Gads, my eyes look like that all the time - that's just mascara?

Must go to bed and get more than 3 hours' sleep...must....must

[jennifer]

do you not have air conditioning in your home? I would die at those temperatures and humidity levels without a/c. Summer where I live is just about as hot and humid so I know how miserable it is. If you don't have a/c have you tried putting a big bowl of ice in front of a fan? It does help a little as I remember from my distant youth in the dark ages before we got air conditioning....

[Liza]

Huh. In the U.S., people talk about Africa as a whole like it is the hottest, most savage place imaginable. Really, at least in terms of climate-related misery and mosquito bites (NOT poverty, HIV, genocide, etc.) it sounds like it beats the American south hands-down. Too funny!

I want to move to Africa where it doesn't go over a hundred degrees and you only get THREE mosquito bites and it's bad enough to moan about! XOX

[Liza]

And you ARE looking v. thin, esp. from that angle (v. nice cheekbones). I get my hair done every two months but my colorist said I should come every six weeks. I just refuse and live with the embarassment for two weeks rather than go broke and crazy trying to pay the colorist and find/pay the sitter! Mine grows that fast, too. Especially since I started taking flaxseed oil. Bloody Moxie is ruining me financially!

[Orange]

I kinda thought that was a small human bite on your (sleek and shapely) legs. What the hell kind of mosquitoes do you have there, anyway?

Go un-blonde and just get highlights. I went four months between salon visits, and my roots didn't look horrifying.

Here, the overnight low on Sunday will be -3 Fahrenheit, which is -19 Celsius. Wanna trade? I think I'd actually prefer not to trade with you—but ask me again on Sunday.

In the U.S., most windows that open have mesh screens over them, so you can get fresh air without bugs. Is that an option there?

[Coral]

Patio, dahling, patio!!

Oh, and the hair thing, should be monthly, but I stretch it a bit!

And it is warm in Benoni / Jhb too, but not as warm as you poor things.

Yup, I would have bought an air cooler if I was you - they are about R400 in Checkers / P+P. Not horrendous, considering, and get one of those plug in thingys for mozzies - R24. End of Coral's hints and tips for today!

[DebbieS]

omg, Tertia, what's with the Madonna-style Ashtanga yoga arms? Is that what you get from lifting twins instead of a singleton? I am sooo jealous!

I hate mascara rings. I have sparse, straight eyelashes that are blonde on the tips, which is odd since I have plenty of very curly, brown hair. So I have to wear mascara but it always ends up looking like raccoon eyes and I don't have the excuse of summer! One time I got really extravagant (and traded favors with someone) and got my lashes tinted and curled. It was awesome! And, no roots ;)

[margalit]

It is three degrees F here right now. That would be fucking FREEZING and then some. Can I come and join you in the paddle pool? I'd be very happy with some sun and fun.

Oh, don't you have screens for your windows to keep the mosquitos out? And no air conditioning?

[Sue]

34 degrees doesn't sound bad until you factor in no central air in South Africa. My poor American husband is dying in the heat in Cape Town. He rushed out to buy a portable a/c unit and not one to be had in the area. He slept on the balcony last night where there was at least a bit of a breeze. Portable fans are not even making a dent in this heat. My son has been sleeping in a diaper and nothing else the last two nights.

Oh, and American husband can't understand why they don't have screen on the windows to keep the bugs out. We bought a mosquito net and put that over son's crib as he was being bitten at night. (The plug ins weren't working.)

And when it comes to winter, there's not central heat either, so you freeze your buns off. Space heaters and that's it.

[Boulder]

You are officially in charge of all picture taking of the legs - those look SEXY! And must also agree that your arms are also looking quite gorgeous.

Hmm, am sounding entirely too enamored with your various body parts.

Love the temps you are experiencing now, though I have to say I like them when I am poolside, not trying to sleep. Grew up with warm temps like those & no a/c, or pool, so understand your pain.

xoxo

[kirstyphysio]

No - you are not allowed to moan!! Chugging filly here in the UK! -2 last night, and heaps of snow!!

[SCY]

"Summer" a poem by Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre

F#

[SCY]

Last post did not work - here it is again... :)

"Summer" a pwom by Abigail Elizabeth McIntyre

F*&ck, it's hot!!!

[margaret]

Guess the obvious must have bit you. Get an air conditioner!

[Chickenpig]

Today it is a whopping 0 degree F right now. Last summer it was hovering at or above 100 for around a week, with 90% humidity. New England weather is soooo wonderful, we get a little bit of everything. Oh, and we have MASSIVE mosquitos, too :) and blackflies, and horseflies, and Lyme disease....waa waa waa.

[Woody's Girl]

I have only one question for you...

Did you lounge in the pool WITH the baby, or take it out before getting in yourself?

My sympathies on the heat. Like Boulder, I grew up without any AC (or pool), and never got good sleep during summer months. It IS miserable.

[Judy]

Girl, that's some big hair! LOL

[Carmen]

I remember how hot it was growing up in South Africa! Nobody had air conditioning or central heating, we just had stiff upper lips. LOL.

But Southern Europe is even hotter in some places. Spain can also be extremely hot and so can Italy, Portugal, etc. Africa isn't the worst place at all!

P.S You are looking skinny and divine! :-)

[Maren]

You look so lovely :) I hate to just make the comment about your appearance, given your overall awesomeness, but really, looking sharp!

[Jodie]

41 degrees (celsius) here today...I feel your pain. But we have kick-arse airconditioning. How can you live in SA and not have air con??

You look very thin, v jealous!

I have highlights and get the roots done every 3 or so months. Much better option.

[Rosie]

Seriously? No central air? Is there a reason?

[giddy]

As someone else mentioned--patio is usually the name given to the backyard sitting area, unless it is wooden and raised, in which case it is a deck. I wonder if "stoep" is related to what we call the "stoop," which is usually used to refer to a small landing and stairs going down to the sidewalk from your front door in areas with tall skinny connected houses (brownstones in NYC, eg).

The word "veranda" is basically interchangeable with "porch"--any covered (roofed) space against the outside of a building.

Does it always get so hot in Cape Town? I had been told that it was more temperate there, more like Santa Barbara in the US ("mediterranean climate"). It occasionally gets that hot in SB (heat wave!), and many do without AC there too, but sounds like Cape Town is hotter, for longer.

[merseydotes]

My (gray!) roots are approximately two inches long ow and I am not getting my hair done until Thursday. At that point, it will have been eight weeks since my last touchup. That's two weeks too long. I say that I'm trying to save money, and my husband tells me that if I'm going to be the trophy wife he deserves, then I need to get my hair done on time.

[Luann]

hey..at least you have an awesome tan! It is 3 degrees here. Thats right 3. And with the windchill it is -24. Schools were delayed 2 hours. I'll trade you.

[Stephanie]

Oh, here's a bit of trivia I bet you didn't know! Hair grows at a rate of 1/2-3/4 of an inch monthly on average. That's roughly 1.3-2 centimeters, if my tape measure is converting correctly. It also grows faster in hot weather.
My hair grows fast, too- when I'm coloring it and it's dramatically different from my natural, I usually do it every 3-5 weeks-otherwise, the roots take over.

[Kathy B.]

Roots - every two months or so. (I don't worry too much about it.)

Heat!! ACH, I would have to have an air-conditioner. (Actually, I do have a window A/C in my bedroom. The rest of the house can swelter for all I care!!)

Veranda is mostly a term used in the southern states in the US -- I would call it a patio.

Oh yeah -- mosquitos, I am sooooo glad they are scarce here. (I am allergic -- and they LOVE me!!)

[Aurelia]

Okay, why no central AC? And if you can't afford it, or if it's impossible to install in your house, can you at least have a dehumidifier? Cheap and makes life much less sticky. Remember well-slept children are happier & better behaved, hon.
Roots, every 5-6 weeks or I look ugghhh...on the other hand, it takes less time to apply and process than if I wait 8 weeks. And, use waterproof mascara, only on the top lashes. Less racoon effect.
Assvice over for the day...

[Heather]

It snowed here yesterday, as well... HATE cold weather. I used to live in Florida and it would get near 100... Then I moved up north a bit thinking it would be better and this summer we had record temps as well. You can't escape nature! All I could say was thank God for whoever invented central air conditioning! We spent a small fortune to keep our house a balmy 72 degrees regardless of what the bloody hell was going on outdoors. In the winter - same thing. It's about 65 in this house even if it's in the teens outside... which is it. Absolutely horrible.

And the whole verdana versus patio versus porch thing... I think that varies with where you live in the US. I would call it a patio, but my husband would call it a front porch or back porch, accordingly.

[Suzie-Q.]

I have three words for you:
1. Air
2. Conditioning
3. Screens
How is it that your house doesn't have these?
Not even a window unit?????

That's just not right. The only nights my kids stay up and moan is when the A/C breaks *usually on a holiday weekend!!

[Suzie-Q.]

Oh. And roots, mmmm.... i'd say every 6 weeks for single process, every 10 weeks for highlights.

[thrice]

I think that if one is coloring her hair more than one or two shades lighter, that she should switch to single process. While the touch ups are more frequent, 4-6 weeks, it's a brief application, ~30 minute process, and not so much $$$. I also prefer single process over highlights, because it doesn't have the overly "striped" look.

To add shine, I like to have a glaze applied, after the single process. You could try it once, if you don't like it you could go back to highlights. Although, I highly doubt it.

[Manuela]

All I know? Is that I want your legs.

[Andrea]

I see that I'm not the first to wonder why you don't have your A/C blasting your house cold. Please tell us why! The area I live in has summer days like yours, and I keep my house at 74 F all day long (v expensive electricity bills, worth every penny).

We call the back area the "patio". The front is the "porch". Not sure what a veranda is.

[baggage]

I grew up without air conditioning and we used to carry around spray bottles to mist ourselves with and then sit in front of a portable fan. Of course, we could open the windows to get some breeze in the house. On really hot days we would go to the mall or the movies because it was air conditioned.

[Carrie Jo]

Really, why don't you have screens on the windows?

[Terri]

I know you are miserable with the head but I am uber jealous. It's January in Canada so I'm freezing my bippies off up here. Brrrrrr. I can't wait for some 30+ weather this summer. Though I do have AC to cool me down if need be.

[Sakoro]

USA/SA citizen here--
I can confirm that screens don't exist in SA and I have no idea why. Whenever any South Africans would come and visit us in the US they would first of all not notice them and try to walk through the screen door. Then they would marvel at what a useful invention screens are and wonder why they couldn't get them in SA. Seriously, if someone is looking for a business opportunity, they should look into producing and selling screen doors and windows for the SA market.

Electricity is a scarce resource in SA and more expensive than in the US, so that's probably why people don't have air conditioning. Also, SA has dry heat rather than humid heat and it doesn't last that long (week or two). So for most people, it's not worth investing in AC.

My uncle and aunt in Johannesburg recently invested in under the floor heating (not the same thing as central heating, just selected parts of the floor warm up) and it cost a fortune. But they love it! Before they were hauling space heaters from room to room in the winter time.

I did a little internet research and it appears that the American term stoop is derived from stoep, which means "small porch" in Dutch. However, the internet insists that stoeps/stoops must be on the front of the house and I'm confused because my grandparents in PE had a stoep on the back of theirs (and it sounds like yours is on the back of your house too). Also, the stoops in the US are generally pretty small, just little landings attached to the front stairs leading to the house-- no space for a barbeque or chairs. They are most common in the Northeast on brownstone rowhouses.

Many Americans have wooden decks attached to the back of their houses that are raised up a few feet above the garden/ yard. This is where you would put your barbeque and table and chairs and entertain people. I've never seen anything like the stone/concrete stoep like my grandparents had in the US attached to the back of a house. If people don't have a wooden deck, they generally have a patio, which is concrete, tile, brick or paving stones and on the same level as the garden/ yard.

[Liza]

WHAT? Wait...NO AC??? I take back every positive thing I said about Africa. Savage place. V. uncivilized.

[SarahD]

Still laughing over the "spare newborn" phrase :) I can sympathize with being savaged by wild animals-- I live in Florida and seem to attract mosquitoes like it's going out of style. Last summer I had over 40 bites going at one time, and that was when I had bug spray on!

[Serina]

It's summer in Australia and our weather matches yours. I'm doing my roots every fortnight! Hair seems to grow faster when it's hot.

[Foster]

I get my roots touched up - it's called "casting" - every three months. I would go every two months, but now that my hair is longer, I increased the time between trims from two to three, so I get both done at once. I consider this enough time to let my roots get "fashionably" long, lol. Really, Im just cheap AND after length preservation!

['wishIknew']

I couldn't live without A.C.
Hope the heavy heat doesn't last too long.
Ice cubes on all the pulse points (behind knees, back of neck, inside elbows, etc.) can help you feel cooler in a pinch. Your kiddie pool photos are a crack-up - great sense of humor.

Re: roots - I always end up waiting way too long but I do save money that way. I travel 100 miles back to my old hometown to go to same hair dresser and she books up WAY in advance so always end up calling when I really need it done and then having to wait another month or more to get in. That reminds me, I should make a call NOW.
'wishIknew'

[meredith]

Sounds as bad as it is in Brisbane. TF for aircon.

re: roots - I used to have my hair "highlighted" every six weeks in London at great expense. Since moving to Australia and having to realign my spending, I've been doing it myself - L'Oreal Performance - great stuff, and only needs doing every 3 months or so. Doesn't give you that "blocked" look either. My hugely expensive highlights used to look like they needed touching up almost straight away - the foils slip and your roots don't get done properly. It's a big wheeze for hairdressers to make lots of money out of you!

[WendyP]

The farmhouse where I grew up in central California didn't have air conditioning either - as a child, I would go to bed with a wet washcloth and a glass of ice water. I'm glad the heat doesn't stick around for months there like it did for us. Summer heat could last from May to October.

[cathy]

dear heart, get yourself some window screens and an air conditioner. window units are fine. they cool this old 1910 15 room victorian in the humid deep south just fine! meanwhile it's 22 degrees F here and a little heat would go a long way to making this old girl happy!!

[Stefanie]

No air condition??? I would die! Oh, in the south, we call it a back porch unless it's screaned in, then it's a Florida room.

[Christine]

In the US, "sundowners" is a type of old-age dementia. We usually don't have an assigned spot for that in the home, but I got a kick out of thinking that someone minght!

[angel]

its hot as hell in gauteng too... i don't have a stoep or a splash pool (i'm not mad about swimming anyway) so i cower in front of the fan instead!